New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks to the media during a campaign stop with Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie in the Bronx borough of New York City, U.S., September 17, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday bashed New York City mayoral race front-runner Zohran Mamdani and renewed a threat to withhold federal funding from the Big Apple if the Democratic nominee wins.
Trump’s rant came a day after Mayor Eric Adams said that he is suspending his campaign after pressure from the president and others to quit the race to improve former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chances of beating Mamdani in November.
“Self proclaimed New York City Communist, Zohran Mamdani, who is running for Mayor, will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City,” Trump wrote. “Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”
Mamdani, who is a self-described democratic socialist — not a communist — bested Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Cuomo is running as an independent, as was Adams.
The Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, has refused to drop out despite pressure from Trump and entreaties from others.
